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Blair kicks off Middle East visit Blair kicks off Middle East visit
(about 1 hour later)
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has arrived in Israel at the beginning of a weekend visit to the Middle East. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has met his Israeli counterpart at the start of a weekend visit to the Middle East.
The revival of the peace process with the Palestinians, as well as the Lebanon crisis and the Iranian nuclear programme will be on Mr Blair's agenda. Mr Blair said the stability of the Middle East was essential to the rest of the world, including the UK.
He will have talks on Saturday night with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, followed by a news conference. On the recent Lebanon conflict, Mr Blair said he wanted to work to make sure the UN resolution that ended the conflict was fully implemented.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he was ready to begin talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Correspondents say Mr Blair is intent on a world role despite acknowledging his imminent retirement from office.Correspondents say Mr Blair is intent on a world role despite acknowledging his imminent retirement from office.
He has said he will resign within a year but has not given a firm date for his departure.He has said he will resign within a year but has not given a firm date for his departure.
'No new plan''No new plan'
Mr Blair is expected to discuss the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr Blair discussed the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But Downing Street sources say he is carrying no new plan with him and simply wants to listen and try to get a measure of the new situation on the ground. But Downing Street sources said earlier he was carrying no new plan with him and simply wanted to listen and try to get a measure of the new situation on the ground.
The problem has been the unquestioning attachment of Tony Blair's government to the Clinton and then Bush administrations, which have seen the Middle East through Israeli eyes only Ismail HaniyehPalestinian prime minister Blair heads for Mid-East tumultThe problem has been the unquestioning attachment of Tony Blair's government to the Clinton and then Bush administrations, which have seen the Middle East through Israeli eyes only Ismail HaniyehPalestinian prime minister Blair heads for Mid-East tumult
BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says there is a certain irony about the visit, in that it is his closeness on policy towards the region to the Bush administration which in many ways has undermined his position at home.BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says there is a certain irony about the visit, in that it is his closeness on policy towards the region to the Bush administration which in many ways has undermined his position at home.
His refusal to call for an immediate cease-fire during the recent Lebanon crisis, is seen by his critics as providing perhaps the final nail in his political coffin, our correspondent says.His refusal to call for an immediate cease-fire during the recent Lebanon crisis, is seen by his critics as providing perhaps the final nail in his political coffin, our correspondent says.
One of his main aims during this trip will be to bolster support for UN resolution 1701 that brought about a halt to the fighting. One of his main aims during this trip was to bolster support for UN resolution 1701 that brought about a halt to the fighting.
He will also be testing the waters to see how the broader peace process can be moved forward. He was also seeking to test the waters to see how the broader peace process can be moved forward.
However, the BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem says Israel is in no mood for peace negotiations and is also playing down expectations.However, the BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem says Israel is in no mood for peace negotiations and is also playing down expectations.
The Palestinians, meanwhile, feel that the UK, like much of the international community, has ignored their suffering, and would like Mr Blair to back up his own words about peace here with deeds, he says.The Palestinians, meanwhile, feel that the UK, like much of the international community, has ignored their suffering, and would like Mr Blair to back up his own words about peace here with deeds, he says.
The prime minister of the Hamas-led Palestinian government, Ismail Haniya, accused Mr Blair of "one-sided" policies that have punished the Palestinian people.The prime minister of the Hamas-led Palestinian government, Ismail Haniya, accused Mr Blair of "one-sided" policies that have punished the Palestinian people.
"The problem has been the unquestioning attachment of Tony Blair's government to the Clinton and then Bush administrations, which have seen the Middle East through Israeli eyes only," he said in a column for the UK Guardian newspaper."The problem has been the unquestioning attachment of Tony Blair's government to the Clinton and then Bush administrations, which have seen the Middle East through Israeli eyes only," he said in a column for the UK Guardian newspaper.